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Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said Visakhapatnam will be developed into a hub for medical tourism.

Taking part in State-level meeting to mark 190{+t}{+h}birth anniversary of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule here at Andhra University Convocation Hall, he said that the inauguration of Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) with OP services, laying of foundation stone for an ESI Hospital at Sheilanagar earlier in the day and development of Health City on the foothills of Simhachalam would convert the city into a destination for healthcare as well as tourism.

Tributes to Phule

Earlier, he along with Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and others paid rich tributes to Mahatma Phule and reiterated the Government’s commitment for social justice and empowerment of Dalits, BCs and women. Mr. Naidu said that the Government would upgrade King George Hospital with modern facilities and develop the VIMS into a super-speciality hospital on the lines of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences. He said that Visakhapatnam had emerged as the main centre for healthcare for not only the people of North Andhra but also for those hailing from Odisha and Chattisgarh.

Health City

The Chief Minister said so far eight private hospitals had come up in the area earmarked for Health City out of 35 allotted sites by the Government. He said 10 more had promised to launch work shortly and cautioned that land allotment would be cancelled if the allottees failed to launch work within a year. After resuming the land it would be given to those who were serious about investments into healthcare.

Access to education

He said that Tata Memorial Centre was also setting up a specialised hospital for treatment of cancer patients in the city.

Referring to providing easy access to education to the deprived and marginalised sections, he said that the Government had enhanced the outlay for the BCs and others to improve their lot.

He said that they would set up more number of residential hostels for fishermen, BCs and others with wi-fi facility and constitute industrial trusts in each assembly constituency to train poor people to become entrepreneurs.

On delay in disbursement of scholarships, he said that from June the Government would transfer the amount to bank accounts of the beneficiaries every month.

He also announced the setting up a separate corporation for the education of nomadic tribes and others.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Visakhapatnam / by Santosh Patnaik / Visakhapatnam – April 12th, 2016

Representatives from Thailand’s tourism sector have met with Chinese officials in Beijing to discuss ways Thailand can further tap the market potential in China.

Representatives from a total of 61 Thai hotels, travel companies, airline companies, theme parks and other recreational venues have gathered in Beijing for a consultation titled “amazing Thailand”.

They aim to promote four tourism products to Chinese travelers, including high-end luxury tour, medical tourism, honeymoon romantic tour and a golf tour.

Runjuan Tongrut, Executive Director of East Asia Region, with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, has pointed out an obvious advantage for a rehabilitation tour in her country.

“One of the most importances is affordable price. If you compare the costs for medical treatment with that in the U.S. and Europe, same standard, same treatment, Thai’s price is cheaper, lower than other countries two to three times.”

Though it is largely known as a tourist destination among Chinese people, Thailand has long won its name as a rehabilitation resort among Europeans, Americans and people from the Middle East.

China currently undergoes a shortage of quality medical services. Middle and high-income Chinese people have high demands for high-end, verified medical services, which domestic medical system might fail to offer.

This comes with another advantage that Thai tourism authority boasts. Runjuan Tongrut explains:

“The other thing also important is no queue. When you come to Thailand for medical treatment it’s no queue because we have many private hospitals and private medical institutions, you can just walk in and it would just cost you one hour or two hours.”

Li Mei, a supervisor of Southeast Asia Division of China International Travel Service, has over twenty years of experiences in taking Chinese tour groups to Thailand.

“I have been on an inspection tour to Thailand. The services local Thai hospitals offer their patients may vary. I also heard that the birth of test-tube babies costs much less in Thailand than in the U.S. or within China. That explains why Thailand could always successfully attract tourists. Also travelers may do a medical checkup when they are in Thailand, and get a detailed report on their health before returning home.”

Statistics of the tourism authority of Thailand show Thailand received nearly eight million Chinese travelers last year, almost one third of Thailand’s entire inbound tourists for the whole year.

For CRI, I’m Xu Fei

source: http://www.english.cri.cn / CRIEnglish.com / Home> News> Web editor: Wang Kun / March 04th, 2016